Reel assembly



Dec. 2, 1969 o. M. ULBING 3,481,582

REEL ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 22, 1968 INVE NTOR OTMAR M. ULBl/VG United States Patent 3,481,582 REEL ASSEMBLY Otmar M. Ulbing, Berkshire, N.Y., assignor to Ingersoll- Rand Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 22, 1968, Ser. No. 699,469 Int. Cl. B66d 1/36 US. Cl. 254-167 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rope-suspending reel with a helical rope groove rotatably supported on an axis which is canted at an angle to align the rope directly with the groove.

This invention pertains to cable or rope hoists, winches, reels, and the like and especially to rope-suspending reel assemblies.

Previously rope-suspending reel assemblies have been supported with the axis of rotation parallel with the horizontal. In the known structures, as some form of helical, rope-guiding groove is used for proper direction of the rope on pay-out and receipt thereof, a frictional scuffing of the rope against one flank of the rope-guiding, helical groove is unavoidable. It has been found that as much as 20% of the total retarding or lagging effect in hoist or reel systems is due to this rope friction on the groove flanks. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a rope-suspending reel assembly having means for eliminating the retarding efiect arising from rope friction on the flanks of the rope groove.

A feature of this invention comprises the mounting of the rotational axis of the reel assembly at an angle which corresponds with the angle of the rope groove helix to facilitate the winding and unwinding of the rope along a line coextensive of the helix angle.

Further objects and features of this invention will become more apparent by reference to the following discussion taken in conjunction with the accompanying figure in which a hoist employing my invention is shown in vertical cross-section.

Only by way of example, my disclosure teaches an application of my invention to the pneumatic balancing hoist shown in the figure. Said hoist employs a rope reel with a helical groove, and has means for rotating said reel while moving the same axially. Such a pneumatic balancing hoist is comprised by the subject of the invention disclosed in my co-pending patent application, Ser. No. 676,877, which I filed Oct. 20, 1967, under the title Balancing Hoist.

In the figure, index number 1 is a piston-side end cap, 2 a cylindrical member and 3 a control-side end cap. The control-side end cap mounts a ball nut 4 which is keyed against rotation by a keying pin 5. Ball screw 6 turns in a ball nut 4 and supports a cable drum or rope reel 7 held by a bolt 8 and keyed against rotation by a pin 9. A piston 10 acts upon the reel 7 through a thrust bearing 11.

Packing 12 seals the piston 10 against the cylinder 2. A rope shield 13 prevents the rope or cable 14 from jumping out of a helical guide 15, and a groove 16 in the shield permits insertion of a ball 17 fixed to the end of the cable 14. This ball 17 is received in a slot 18 of the reel 7 and anchors the cable 14.

An access opening 19 is formed in the cylindrical member 2 through which the rope 14 can pass out of the hoist structure for suspension therefrom. The overall hoist structure is carried by a pair of trolley supports 20 and 21 extending upwardly therefrom. Trolley supports 20' and 21 receive on the lower end thereof rods or shafts (not Patented Dec. 2, 1969 "ice shown) which extend between and are secured to the end caps 1 and 3 parallel with the axis of rotation of the reel 7.

Trolley support 20, it is to be noted, is slightly longer than trolley support 21. This provisioning tilts or cants the hoist assembly at a given angle. The trolley supports mount wheels 22 which ride on parallel flanges of an overhead supporting I-beam 23.

A fluid inlet pipe 24 introduces pressured fluid for actuation of the hoist. Specifically, the pressured fluid is processed and controlled by means disposed within end cap 3 (such means not being shown as they are not pertinent to the instant invention) which cause the pressured fluid to communicate with balancing or pressure chamber 25. The fluid pressure operates on the piston 10 cansing it to move away from end cap 1. As a consequence of the movement of piston 10 rope reel 7 moves also, in the same axial direction and in addition it is caused to rotate through the interaction of the ball screw *6 and the ball nut 4. In this manner the rope 14 is caused to wind about the rope reel 7.

The rope reel helical guide 15 is a rope groove formed in the outer periphery of the reel. The groove has flanks 26 on either sides of a valley 27 in which the rope is receivable. It is to be noted that, with respect to a horizontal reference or plane 28, the hoist assembly assumes a canted angle. The line of suspension 29 for the rope 14 defines a right angle Z with the horizontal plane 28 and an oblique angle Y with the axis of rotation 30 of reel 7.

The reel 7 is rotatably supported at a canted angle which, relative the horizontal, corresponds with the helix angle of the rope groove. Therefore, the rope 14 is caused to wind and unwind on a line exactly and linearly coextensive with valley 27 of the helical guide 15. There occurs, then, no frictional scuffing of the rope against either of the flanks 26. Thus, the retarding or lagging effect that such scufling would normally introduce, the effect operative in reel assemblies heretofore and limitive of both their efficiency and rope and reel life, is eliminated by this teaching of my invention.

Throughout I have described element 14 as a cable or rope. It is to be understood, however, that the teaching of my invention encompasses its practice with any ropelike material. The work-load suspending element, then, can be metal cable, wire rope, organic or plastic rope, cable, chain, or of other similar materials.

In this preferred embodiment of my invention, I teach the use of trolley supports 20 and 21 of unequal lengths. Clearly, other embodiments within the spirit of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art to which my disclosure pertains. For instance, the wheels 22 could be of differing diameters; or the rods or shafts (not shown) which couple the trolley supports to the hoist assembly could be disposed at an angle relative the axis of rotation of the reel 7, with the supports then being of equal length; or the rods or shafts can be disposed parallel to said axis, and both the two trolley supports and the two wheels can be of corresponding dimensions, using, however, an elevating or shimming pad along one flange of the I-beam to raise one end of the hoist relative to the other; also, it would only require a tilting of the I-beam, by means of shims or the like, to practice my invention with an otherwise standard hoist assembly or reel. Accordingly, while I have described my invention in connection with a specific embodiment thereof, it is to be clearly understood that this is done only by way of example.

I claim:

1. A reel assembly for a suspended rope, comprising:

a reel having an axis;

first means supporting said reel for rotation about said axis;

a guide comprising a heli-cal rope groove having a helical angle carried on said reel for directing the pay-out and receipt of the rope by said reel, said rope groove having lateral flanks with a valley there-between; and

second means disposing said axis at a canted angle relative to the horizontal, said canted and helical angles being of the same degrees of arc and in the same direction, and said angles being cooperative to cause said rope to contact only said valley and to be payed-out from and received on a line co-extensive of the angle of the helical guide.

2. A reel assembly, according to claim 1, wherein: said guide presents a rope directing angle which is perpendicular to the horizontal.

3. A reel assembly, according to claim 1, wherein: said second means dispose said axis at a fixed angle.

4. A reel assembly, according to claim 1, wherein: said .4 first means include means supporting said reel for movement along said axis.

5. A reel assembly, according to claim 1, wherein: said guide presents a rope directing angle which is oblique relative to said axis.

6. A reel assembly, according to claim 1, wherein: said second means comprise a pair of upstanding trolley supports of unequal lengths.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,325,148 6/1967 Powell 254-168 2,735,554 2/1956 Ober 254-168 2,998,094 8/1961 Fisher 254168 3,384,350 5/1968 Powell 254-186 HARVEY C. HORNSBY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 212-134 

